NewYork

The only items on the cuisinart.com web site that fit the description is the "Contour Stainless" line of cookware. Nothing else has the glass lids and the not-for-induction limitation. That gets you the "pure aluminum encapsulated base", but not the really expensive tri-ply construction. There's a disc of aluminum, hidden inside the base of the pans, which spreads the heat out evenly and prevents hot spots. That's really all you need, since only the bottoms are directly in contact with the stovetop or gas flame.
http://www.cuisinart.com/products/cookware-comparison.html

klausboop

Bethy54 wrote:After combing through the Cuisinart website, Amazon and other areas of the web, I am unable to find the exact same mix of cookware being sold as this set.

I bought a very similar set from Woot a while back and ran into the same problem. I called Cuisinart to register the set and/or find out about adding a couple of pieces. I gave them the model number that was on the Woot sale, they'd never heard of it. I read some numbers off the bottom of the pan, they'd never heard of it. So, no registration and no additional pieces.

With that said, I haven't regretted the purchase for a second. It's been fantastic cookware, especially after we learned about Barkeeper's Friend powder to really restore it back to looking factory new after we use it. It's been a joy to cook with.

clarist

I bought a similar Cuisinart set from woot.com back in February. The large stock pot cracked last week (the metal pot, not the lid). Turns out if you use it on "the highest setting on a standard electrical stove top" you void your warranty and they won't replace a damaged item. Keep that in mind when making this purchase.

jingorobeta

I have a similar Cuisinart set. It’s pretty much the same thing, but the lids are metal instead of glass. After years of dealing with whatever garbage was on sale at Wal-Mart, these things are pretty amazing. There are thick plates on the bottom that keep the cooking surface evenly heated, which can make a huge difference for large meals or delicate recipes.

Cleaning is a bit more of a challenge with these. I haven’t had a whole lot of luck with just scrubbing them in the sink. You pretty much have to throw them in the dishwasher on the “pots and pans” setting every time you use them.

southcutt

lzboy wrote:Most stainless steel pot are not magnetic, hence they doesn't work well with induction stoves. You can try sticking a magnet to it to check.

I thought most stainless was ferrous. Thank you for the correction.

Bethy54 wrote:We all seem to be guessing about what the thickness of the pots and pans are (18/10, 18/4, 18/...)

Those numbers are the metallurgical composition of the steel, not its thickness. Specifically, they are the (approximate) percentages of chromium and nickel in the alloy. They affect the metal's durability and the likelihood of becoming discolored through normal use.

NewYork wrote:The only items on the cuisinart.com web site that fit the description is the "Contour Stainless" line of cookware. Nothing else has the glass lids and the not-for-induction limitation. That gets you the "pure aluminum encapsulated base", but not the really expensive tri-ply construction. There's a disc of aluminum, hidden inside the base of the pans, which spreads the heat out evenly and prevents hot spots. That's really all you need, since only the bottoms are directly in contact with the stovetop or gas flame.
http://www.cuisinart.com/products/cookware-comparison.html

Except that this cookware does not have the "potbelly" shape of the Contour line and does not appear in Woot's photos to have an encapsulated aluminum base.

That is definitely not the same set. It has a different assortment of pieces, the similar pieces are not the same sizes, and as I said above, the Contour line is shaped differently than what's in this Woot offering.

southcutt

On closer examination of Woot's photos, it appears the pieces in this set actually do have an encapsulated base (presumably aluminum). The angles of the photos makes it very difficult to spot, but it's there.

Between that, and the relatively small sizes in this set (I need a saucepan larger than 2 qt., and a larger sauté pan and stockpot would really be preferable, too), I have to pass. It wouldn't be a big enough upgrade from the cheap stainless cookware I currently have, and wouldn't really meet my cooking needs.

SelfGovern

There's a lot to be said for not using non-stick cookery.
This set is stainless steel, and will last a lifetime (or longer) with minimal care. It will still be useful after the non-stick coating is gone from other cookware (most non-stick pots and pans are made of aluminum, which is a terrible cooking surface once the non-stick goes away).
There is now also concern about toxicity of Teflon and similar compounds, even in normal cooking environments (it's long been known that Polytetrafluoroethylene (i.e., Teflon) gives off deadly poisonous gasses under high heat).

memmek2k

southcutt wrote:I thought most stainless was ferrous. Thank you for the correction.

Metallurgist here. All stainless is ferrous (i.e. it contains iron as the major element). Good stainless isn't magnetic. The added nickel in 18/8 or better grades prevents the steel from changing into the phase it normally is at room to cooking temperature, which is magnetic. Cheap stainless, and the stainless alloys used for knives, do not contain as much nickel and end up in magnetic phases at room temperature.

Bethy54

southcutt wrote:That is definitely not the same set. It has a different assortment of pieces, the similar pieces are not the same sizes, and as I said above, the Contour line is shaped differently than what's in this Woot offering.

Thank You for your clarifications. I have no idea how anyone can say they have this set, or something "similar" when we do not have any specifics on it. I'm waiting for Woot to PLEASE post the specifics we are looking for. I don't like playing this guessing game, and cannot afford to spin a roulette wheel hoping this will be what I am looking for.

I am glad all of you have posted how happy you are with the set you previously bought from Woot, but I still don't know what the specifics are, and this guessing game is quite frustrating, to say the least.

asteriskadonis

Like many others, I am confused as to exactly which Cuisinart cookware set these belong too, and am having trouble finding anything equivalent on the web. It's not Contour, and it also doesn't look like Chef's Classic to me. (The metal surface of the outside of the set for sale on Woot is not shiny, as people have said, but actually looks matte or brushed to me.) The closest thing I have found so far is this from Amazon:

Note the white Cuisinart lettering on the glass lids. However, the set is described on Amazon as being induction compatible, and the exterior of the pots and pans is a shiny metal. The Amazon set seems to be as good if not a slightly better deal (more pieces and larger pieces for an additional $20). But as others have said, it's hard to tell if this is a good deal when we don't know what it is! I was sorely tempted, as I am in the market for a new set of stainless cookware, but I think I'll have to pass...

luclin999

It looks like the variant of the Chef's Classic line which is sold through departments stores like Macys, Dillards etc. that ships with glass lids instead of the metal ones which are shown on the Cuisinart site.

maddog37

southcutt wrote:Why aren't these suitable for induction? Isn't that pretty unusual for stainless?

And any info about the grade of steel these are made from? The set someone linked at Macy's mentions 18/4, which I would expect to discolor pretty quickly with regular use. This set appears to be a different line, though; the handles are different, and if this set also features an encapsulated aluminum base (does it?) there's no obvious seam in the photos.

This is a great deal even if it's "low-end" Cuisinart...but if it's low-end Cuisinart I'm not interested.

The exteriors of the 18/10 stainless steel pots and pans feature a handsome brushed finish, while the interiors are mirror-polished for non-reactive, quick release of foods. The tri-ply Heat Surround technology sandwiches an aluminum core in the base and side walls for superior, even heating.

psychomuse

joshpuse wrote:come on woot.. let's see at least one set of induction-safe cookware!

Well, technically, all pots and pans are "induction-safe". If there's no magnetic metal in the bottom, you just won't have heat induction. That pot or pan can sit there forever and never get hot, so they're all perfectly "induction-safe".

procop

maddog37 wrote:The exteriors of the 18/10 stainless steel pots and pans feature a handsome brushed finish, while the interiors are mirror-polished for non-reactive, quick release of foods. The tri-ply Heat Surround technology sandwiches an aluminum core in the base and side walls for superior, even heating.

That description refers to a different Cuisinart set "MCP-12N MultiClad" that has metal lids, different handles and partially brushed exterior with polished upper parts on pots and pans.

southcutt

memmek2k wrote:Metallurgist here. All stainless is ferrous (i.e. it contains iron as the major element). Good stainless isn't magnetic. The added nickel in 18/8 or better grades prevents the steel from changing into the phase it normally is at room to cooking temperature, which is magnetic. Cheap stainless, and the stainless alloys used for knives, do not contain as much nickel and end up in magnetic phases at room temperature.

Thank you for that excellent primer. Nice to have some real, accurate information in this thread, that isn't just made up or plagiarized from a description of a different product.

(What's happened to the Woot forums? Used to be, the first dozen posts on any sale would have dug up everything there was to know about the product, and errors were more rare than steak tartare.)

BarbieGee

These arrived earlier this week! They are beautiful! Nice heft to them, not too light, heavier than the cheapo ChefsMate stainless set that I'll be donating to Goodwill.

I've tried out the small skillet. It makes a funny bit of "expansion" clicky noise while heating it, and while the heat is even around the bottom, they still get pretty hot (okay, TOO hot) pretty fast. I'll have to learn to manage the gas flames a bit more with these than I'm used to for the skillets and frying pan. They say the handles stay "cooler" but the lids handles get really hot, so be careful with them til you're used to them.

I'm nervous about the learning curve switching to these, but this set really has ALL the pots and pans I need, and I'm glad to get rid of all the mismatched and cheapo pans I currently have.

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